Puppet
by SimmeringSun
Summary: Galacta Knight has always been controlled. He realizes it more when an old acquaintance wishes him free. (Sequal to "Finally Free")


"My name is Galacta Knight. I'm skilled with a lance and I'm a Star Warrior who is..who is..", He mumbles to himself. He thinks for a bit and then curses under his breath, resisting the sudden urge to break something.

"My name is Galacta Knight. I am skilled with a lance and I'm a Star Warrior who is the most powerful knight in the world.", He says but those words don't feel right either. He was defeated by the knight from Dreamland wasn't he? No, no. He still had to have that title, he needed it, it was the only thing he had. What was he going to be besides Galacta Knight who is skilled with a lance if he doesn't have that damn title. He didn't know. He could feel the creeping of that damn thing in his head. He didn't want it to jumble up again, not anymore.

"What's wrong with you now?", They ask next to him, their voice fading in and out, in and out.

"Nothing is wrong with me! I just need to clear things up..", Galacta Knight says, spinning around to face them and holding his lance out. He had no time for this.

"You still have that same temper. Good we might need it. I thought you had years upon years to think and be idle.", They say as they roll their eyes and push the lance away like a mere toy was being pointed at them.

"You're one to talk? What happened to you splitting apart every five minutes because you didn't even know who you are, Dark Matter?", Galacta Knight says as he puts his lance down but still feels that anger bubbling up inside of him. That anger hadn't simmered down in many many years. It just seemed to grow and grow and that stupid cuff put on his arm wasn't helping either.

"I had time to deal with that. I know who I am now. Where were you when I almost conquered Dreamland? Oh wait, I forgot.", They say. They knew very well where he was.

"The keyword in that sentence is almost. You probably didn't ever hurt a fly, just had people do your dirty work for you.", The knight says.

"I didn't wish you back from Nova just to sit here and reminisce, you know that. We might have been good friends once but that's over.", They say and Galacta Knight grips his lance.

"I never considered you a friend, the relationship between us was merely an alliance and nothing more and of course I know. Why would anyone wish me out just because they wanted to. Only a fool would do that.", He says.

"Well then, I'm glad that you understand. Nova isn't someone easy to find you know. They almost seemed sad to see their little plaything go.", They say, knowing that what they said would anger the knight and cause a response. Of course the knight grabbed his cloak, holding it tightly as he aimed his lance at his head. They knew how to play people like a flute.

"I am nobody's plaything. I am free now.", Galacta Knight says with anger just dripping out of his voice.

"Oh really? Is that why people treated you like a wooden dummy, only wishing upon you to fight them after they heard the great Meta Knight did such a thing. Nova enjoyed watching those people die so he didn't say anything and let them carry on. He liked the death that you put out.", They say and narrow their eye when Galacta Knight doesn't put his lance down.

"It seems as if you have forgotten. I can blow you to pieces whenever I want to with that cuff around your arm. If you keep irritating me I won't hesitate to do so.", They say and Galacta Knight still keeps his lance aimed at them, his arm shaking a bit in anger before he hesitantly puts in down.

"Good, now keep quiet for a minute and let me explain my plan for this quest and the reason for it."

"Don't mock me and I bet this is going to be just riveting just like every single thing that come out of your mouth-", Galacta Knight seethes but then there's a searing pain in his arm and he yelps, as he instinctly tries to take the cuff off but it just won't budge. When the electricity being sent through his arm stops a throbbing pain stays.

"I mean it. It will be a lot worse if you don't cease to speak. Now sit down!", They say.

Galacta Knight curses before hesitantly sitting down on a nearby wooden chair, his hand still clenched tightly around his lance.

"It has come to my attention that an person with tremendous power is out there in plain sight. He's manipulating people to get them to be off guard but I know it's tricks.", Dark Matter says as they take out a picture of the supposed evil person from his cloak and hands it to the knight.

"It looks like a doll.", The knight says as he squints at the picture and then looks skeptically at Dark Matter. Maybe they were nuts after all.

"It's form is of a doll obviously but underneath the exterior of his disguise is a slimy creature with great power.", Dark Matter says as he points to the picture in emphasis.

"What are your sources?", Galacta Knight asks, not believing anything that the other was saying.

"Gooey is my source. After a bit of.. persuasion from me they saw the disturbing creature show it's true face when nobody but them was around to see while carrying out a task I had given them."

"Why does this concern you so much and what is this doll supposed to represent?", Galacta Knight asks as he casually throws the photo on the floor and brushes his gloved hand over his lance, as if to wipe it off. It hasn't been taken cared of for centuries and it was starting to show.

"The doll represents a hero who resides in Dreamland. He seems to be friends with the knight of Dreamland and he has smashed my plans to pieces. They made a doll statue of sorts of him carrying the star rod to commemorate his fight with Nightmare, even if he was the one who freed him. I'm not sure where the real doll has gone but this one that replaced it has tremendous power and needs to be stopped. That wand in his hand, it's special, I can tell. From what Gooey described I believe it's the legendary Warp Wand. It could make someone go through different timelines and universes. They say when you touch it you can see the memories of another you. This thing, it's going to destroy Dreamland, no, the world.", Dark Matter says.

"So you went all the way into space and scoured the galaxy so you could wish me back just to defeat a doll with some supposed fairy wand. No thanks.", Galacta Knight says without looking up.

"You have no say in this matter and you know it. I won't hesitate to kill you with that cuff.", Dark Matter says as they hold up the remote in their hand and before Galacta Knight could swipe it from their hand it's suddenly gone.

"It's just like you to use slimy tactics like this. Why didn't you just ask the Knight of Dreamland?", Galacta Knight asks as he narrows his eyes behind his mask.

"Oh yes, let me just tell the knight of Dreamland to help me in destroying the statue meant to commemorate the hard work of someone he looks after did. I didn't take you as stupid Galacta Knight. Wait, I actually kind of have.", Dark Matter says.

"I'm going with you. I shall be the one to bring the downfall of Popstar and if this creature is standing in the way then dead he must be.", Galacta Knight says.

"Stop deluding yourself into believing you had a choice in the matter. Denial doesn't suit you well. Now go to sleep, we leave at dawn.", Dark Matter says and Galacta Knight doesn't know how to respond so he stays silent and stews in his anger.

He wants to destroy the other. He wanted to take his lance and stab the other until his mangled form is unrecognizable but he's not stupid. He can't with this stupid thing on him.

No, he still had a choice. He did. But he didn't did he?

He closed his eyes for a few seconds but then opened them. He hated that darkness and he hated sleeping. He had enough of both.

The room that they were in was one within a large cave. It was quite obvious that Dark Matter had resided here for a while, his home was a little out of Dreamland but still close enough to where you can see the beginnings of it if you looked outside.

There were candles littered throughout the room and books were stacked haphazardly. There was a desk in the far corner and there were only two chairs.

He glanced to Dark Matter who was in the corner, his blade next to him and his eyes grazing over a page of an open book that lay on his lap. He knew that his mask revealed when he was asleep or not so he didn't even look away when Dark Matter looked up annoyed and rolled his eye.

When the sky started to turn a dark shade of blue but still darker than the cold pitch black night and the stars started to disappear as the sun slowly started to finally show itself from the horizon, Dark Matter shut his book and grabbed two bags from the corner of the room.

"Here, carry your own bag. We're leaving now and I don't want to hear you complain about not getting enough sleep.", Dark Matter says as they throw a bag at him.

Galacta Knight unzips the bag and looks inside. A flashlight, a slightly rotting apple, and some bandages were inside of it. Galacta Knight looked down at the bag and it's contents and then looked at Dark Matter a bit confused.

"If my memory serves me well, you do require nourishment. I took the liberty to supply you with an apple, no need to thank me.", Dark Matter says as he takes his own bag and starts heading out, expecting the other to follow.

"I think that apple has worms in it..", Galacta Knight says with disgust as he follows behind.

"Well, that just adds extra nutrition doesn't it?", Dark Matter says knowingly. That asshole. Galacta Knight couldn't wait until he could burn the other until the smell of burning flesh, if he even has any, fills the air.

He throws the bag over a cliff.

The two traveled on, Galacta Knight soaring through the sky much to Dark Matter's dismay.

"You did like to fly once didn't you? It's too bad you can't zoom through the sky now.", Dark Matter says.

"I wish I never had met you.", Galacta Knight says truthfully back and Dark Matter takes the statement unfazed.

"I am well aware of that.", They say back.

It didn't take too long for the two to reach the Fountain of Dreams.

The only people in their way were a few Waddle Dees roaming about but those weren't nearly close to a problem to take out. Galacta Knight found a dull pleasure in watching them squirm as he impaled the creatures. They reminded him too much of those weak warriors who dared to go to Nova merely to fight him and it only fueled his endless anger more.

"There's no need to take them all out.", Dark Matter said. Galacta Knight didn't hesitate to kill every creature they had passed. He knew that he didn't necessarily have to but something inside told him that he needed to or else he'd snap.

So on their quest he left a trail of dead bodies and blood that did not have to be shed. It made Galacta Knight feel numb. He expected more enjoyment from killing so freely, a sort of nostalgic feeling creeping up from back in the days when he used to destroy planets for the sake of just destroying planets. It felt like something inside of him was broken and no matter how many Waddle Dees or stray enemies he killed it wouldn't fix itself back to what it used to be.

"You're a lot different than you used to be.", Dark Matter said as they passed Orange Ocean.

"So are you. It's weird how time works isn't it.", Galacta Knight says dryly. He didn't even want to converse with the other if he didn't have to.

"I suppose you are right.", They say unamused. "We just have to go through Rainbow Resort next and we will make it to our destination. You better be ready."

Galacta Knight didn't say anything back. He really was just content on ignoring the other and the cuff that was tightly placed on his arm. He contemplated on just cutting the damn thing off just so he could soar in the air and go to a planet far far away. He just pretended that he decided to go on this quest and he decided that hey this cuff looks pretty nice so he decided to wear it. He knew it was childish and weak minded but all of this was far too suffocating. He just wanted to get this all over with so Dark Matter would let him go.

When they took a short rest at Rainbow Resort Galacta Knight resorted to trying to get the cuff off of him with his lance, aiming the tip of it at the black metal and attempting to dig into it.

Dark Matter didn't say anything at first, they just watched in mild amusement as they watched the knight. It was like watching a dog trying to take a shock collar off.

"Fuck.", Galacta Knight cursed under his breath. He could feel Dark Matter watching him try to chip away at the metal to no avail. No matter how hard he striked the metal it wouldn't even dent. Suddenly that same searing pain shot from the cuff and he let out a small sound of pain which caused Dark Matter to make a sound of amusement.

"Stop that. That awful clinking sound is getting quite annoying.", He said as he put the remote away.

Galacta Knight couldn't wait to watch him suffer.

When they finally reached the Fountain of Dreams the doll-like creature came into view, sitting innocently behind a glass case with a smile on it's face. How can such a pure looking object hold so much evil. The beginnings of doubt began to grow in his mind but he wiped them away quickly. He had seen so much back in his days that he didn't even doubt it. His memories were hazy and distorted but he could recall a few instances in which children would try to bring along evil.

He went through the small crowd of people looking at it in awe and taking pictures in front of it. They had no idea what it really was.

A few people looked at Galacta Knight oddly, some incompetent child whispering about how he looked like Meta Knight which he had to restrain himself not to punch them in the face. He pressed his hand against the glass and looked closely at the creature. Watching it destroy Popstar would be amusing and down right entertaining but if this creature destroyed Popstar it would also destroy the Knight of Dreamland which was a job he must execute.

He looked behind him to see that Dark Matter wasn't there. Did he perhaps take on a different form when Galacta Knight was distracted by the doll? He didn't care. That stitched up smile the creature had was mocking him, it was mocking everyone there because it knew what it was going to do.

"What do you suppose we do?", He mumbles.

"Smash the glass.", His shadow replies. He looks down and his shadow is staring back up at him with one piercing eye. Galacta Knight can't help but roll his eyes at the form. It seemed useless to hide from the people when they were about to destroy something that they loved and thought to be nice and cute but he found himself curling his hand into a fist and punching the glass anyways, the shattered glass littering the floor.

A few people screamed in the background at the sudden action which left the knight unfazed as he stared at the supposed doll.

"I know who you are. Why don't you show your true form?", He says as he reaches out to touch it. When the tip of his hand reaches the doll's head the creature lets out a blood curling screech. Galacta Knight quickly takes a step back and gets into a battle position, shield drawn up as the creature begins to grow and grow until it's doll-like skin is gone and a huge and hideous creature stands in it's place.

The creature greatly resembled the doll but at the same time it didn't. It held that same pink circle shape except it's skin looked like it was slowly melting like chewed up bubble gum. His beady black eyes seemed to sink into his face and the smile was gone.

"So you weren't crazy after all.", Galacta Knight says out loud and then looks down to see Dark Matter still taking the form of his shadow. "Well, what are you waiting for? Did you plan on making me fight this thing alone?"

"Oh no, we're going to fight him together.", Dark Matter says with a laugh.

"What's so funny?", The knight asks. No, he couldn't have planned to..

Dark Matter stood up and put his head against Galacta Knight's, no matter how hard the knight squirmed he couldn't break away. The knight began to feel drowsy and weak and before he knew it his legs gave out and the other caught him swiftly before he could fall.

"Sweet dreams dear knight.", Dark Matter says as he slowly starts to melt into him. The knight felt like he was sinking in tar. He tried to fight it off for a few seconds before he felt his body give out from exhaustion and his eyes closed to a familiar blackness.

When he came to he shot up with a gasp and looked around to see that he wasn't at the Fountain of Dreams anymore.

"Where?..", He said aloud to himself as he observed his surroundings. The room that he was in was odd to say the least. The floor was littered with black roses, far too many to count and the paint on the walls were chipping away. On one wall over a desk there were pictures tacked up onto a corkboard, a flickering light hanging above.

The pictures were all of people be knew, some of them be could only vaguely remember. Oddly they were all people that he hated with a passion, the ones that he had killed, or in some cases had died by someone else, had a red 'X' painted on them. The only ones not painted over were Meta Knight, Nova, and Dark Matter. Where the hell was he?

In the corner of the room his lance and shield are leaning against the wall seeming to wait for him. He quickly retrieved the items and went to the only door in the room but when he turned the handle he found that the door was locked. He took his lance and pierced the blade through the decaying wood. The wood was oddly persistent though and it took a few tries until the door just fell apart.

He stepped over the remnants of the door and walked into the room and then he felt it immediately, the feeling punching him in his gut.

He would openly admit that he didn't hold his anger that well at times but if people thought that he was enraged now what would be be if he released all of his anger, but now it seemed to flow freely through and it burned his skin and prickled his mind. It felt like a thousand sharp needles were being poked into his skin, one after another, but there was nothing there.

The room had walls of bright red and it had heavy air that made him feel like he couldn't breathe. He scratched at his arms to try to numb that damn prickling that shot through him like a bullet but it wouldn't cease.

He continued as best as he could through the long room, taking slow and careful steps that didn't help ease the pain any better but he couldn't will himself to run. He felt like destroying everything.

He started to hear whispers, so many whispers all hushed but still somehow loud, clashing together and creating nothing but useless noise that sounded like a swarm of bees were in his head.

"Shut up.", The whisper that comes out of his mouth joins the others in the air, unheard even to his own ears.

His head was throbbing and his whole body ached. When he's finally at the end of the room where another door lays, he opens the lock that is thankfully on the side that he's in and throws open the door and falls into the next room, taking in deep breaths as he shakily stands up, the door behind him immediately closing behind him. He needed to get out of this place fast.

When he finally caught his breath and that awful pain dulled and left his body he looked around the room that he was in.

The room was dark but oddly a blue light seemed to illuminate the room from thin air, making it possible to see that he was in a room full of what looked like endless bookshelves.

He went up to the bookshelves and saw that the spines were all numbered in numerical order. He ran his hands against the spines of the books curiously, noticing that some of the spines were so deteriorated that some of the book would crumble when he merely lightly touched it.

Some part of him wanted to watch all of these books crumble. That part wanted him to take out all these books and crush them in the palm of his hand but something told him that it wasn't a good idea. It's not that he necessarily liked books in particular, but these books felt oddly special, some of them seemed to be begging him to pick them up while others wanted to be crumbled. It was odd and it made him want to get out of here more.

After a moment of hesitation he carefully took a random book out. It was book 306. The series of books seemed to reach into the thousands.

The book was definitely old and rough around the edges but it wasn't in an unreadable state. Galacta Knight opened the cover and suddenly a blinding light was let out. Galacta Knight quickly shielded his eyes from the sudden light and hesitantly opened his eyes after a few moments when he hears a sound.

He looks down at the book and blinks at what he's seeing. The pages of the book were playing a sort of video. He saw himself but much younger. What is this?

The little Galacta Knight in the book was pretty young, probably only about three hundred years old back then. He wore a mask to big for him and dragged along what looked like a wooden shield and a metal lance that looked worn and not very well taken cared of. The child had different colored liquids drying and crusting over every part of him from a bright red to dark black. Galacta Knight had seen so much blood that he recognized it immediate. The blood hung to the child like it was a part of him. Why did this look so familiar? Galacta Knight felt like he was missing something as he silently watched on.

The young warrior seemed to be on a abandoned planet, rocks and dust blowing in the occasional sharp winds around him as he trudged on, the child seemingly all alone. Then there was a scream.

The young warrior took his eyes off of the ground and looked ahead to see a figure not too far off ahead. It was yelling and seemed to be shifting it's form rapidly. The young warrior narrowed his eyes and approached the creature.

"Shut up.", The young Galacta Knight said, his voice hard and unwavering.

"I can't!", The creature yelled in agony. The creature had a single eye and shifted into a cloud and then multiple clouds.

"If you don't shut up, I'll make you.", Galacta Knight said as he lifted his sword at the other.

"Who am I?", The clouds shrieked as they split up more until they were four.

"An idiot.", Galacta Knight said.

"You brat! Who are you?", The clouds asked.

"I am..I am Galacta Knight.", The knight said, seeming to be content with how the name rolled off of his tongue. "Just make a name yourself if you don't know you are."

The clouds are silent before they form together to create a swordsman and then they come apart again to form a single being, this one looking more compact and less cloudy.

"I am Dark Matter."

"Whatever. Stop talking."

"Why are you here, young one?", They ask as their form wavers and they almost split apart again.

"I have people that I need to kill. Show me where they are.", The young knight says defiantly.

"There is no one here besides us two."

"Then I will just kill you.", He says eerily.

"You can't kill me. I can go into people's minds. I can go up to your room up there and destroy it.", Dark Matter says as he messily shifts into his swordsman form slowly and taps the small knight's head. "But why do you need to kill anyways. Shouldn't you be playing with your family? You look quite young."

"My family is dead."

"Oh, who killed them?", They asked in a tone that showed that they didn't particularly care. Their voice changed pitch randomly in their sentences, like it couldn't decide what to sound like.

"I don't know. That's why I must kill everyone. Eventually I'll get it right.", He says as he points his lance and the other.

"Kill everyone? I assure you I didn't kill them, if that helps you any.", They say, quite amused by the boy's words.

"There is a chance that you are lying.", The young knight says.

"True but what about you? How do you know that you didn't kill them and you're just lying to yourself?", Dark Matter asks.

The knight seems to think a moment, pondering at the possibility that seemed to never even crossed his mind. Then he looked straight into the other's eye.

"I do not know that, you are correct. That just means that I'll have to kill everyone before I kill myself."

"Heh, you are an odd one. I like you. How about we team up? I'll help you kill every living creature that comes our way and at the very end you can kill me.", Dark Matter says. The young Galacta Knight looks at him skeptically.

"Do what you want, just don't get in my way. I'm leaving", He says as he continues to drag his sword along. Dark Matter follows along.

Galacta Knight quickly shuts the book, the video gone. He knew what happens next and he didn't particularly want to see it.

His memories. These books were his memories, all of them arranged neatly in the years that he lived his life presumably.

That means that he was in the room, the room that Dark Matter would mention from time to time. He remembered his years with the other being. The They were hazy and unclear but he at least still could recall some instances. He remembered times where he blacked out and when he came to Dark Matter would act as if nothing happened even when he woke up with strange bruises or injuries. It was when he woke up with a broken arm that he had confronted the other on this and found out that they were just using him like a puppet and Galacta Knight didn't even know for a hundred years.

And he was doing it again. Right now.

Galacta Knight stood up, the revelation making his mind boil.

He was sick of being used. He was sick of Dark Matter being an insolent coward who resorted to possessing others before went to fight themselves. He was sick of how Nova used him to fulfill other's idiotic wishes for fights. He wasn't going to take any of it, not ever again, starting now. He'd rather die than be controlled by others again.

He holds onto his lance tightly and prepares to storm through this maze until he found how Dark Matter was controlling his body but he hesitates as he looks at the books.

Those suffocating and awful years being trapped in that crystal prison. He could destroy it all right now and that growing weakness of being afraid to go back could be gone. He could burn those long years away with no trouble. But what would that do? Without those years his hate would cease to boil and he would have no motivation. Every fiber of him despised those years but he couldn't deny that every single book and page in this room was important and if he destroyed some then he was ultimately destroying himself in the end.

He fights the urge to sit down and open all of the books, dusting them off and replaying memories good and bad but he pushes it away and as he runs through the bookshelves and at the very end of the room finds two doors. He ponders for a bit before choosing the smaller door.

When the knight found that this door was locked he ripped the handle off with the help of his lance and burst through the room. The room was dark and from the looks of it small and items scattered the floor like glass.

He bent down, examining the items.

There was a box of chocolates on the floor, ones filled with a cherry cream that he remembered he used to love and couldn't get enough of. There an old toy ball and a stuffed doll of this iconic kitten that he used to like when he was small.

Sudden flashes of music and laughing and smiles prodded his mind, things so foreign that they seemed to pierce something inside of him.

Every item in the room seemed to have some sort of significance, even if he hadn't thought of any of these things for thousands of years. With shaking hands he steps out of the room and closes the door. It was much to late to fix that room up. Much too late. He didn't have the willpower to anymore.

He looked at the other door, the numbness in his mind still there but slowly ebbing away from the previous room. He broke the door open without even checking to see if it was unlocked and that same rage flooded back into him like a tidal wave at what he saw.

"Oh, well isn't this a surprise, you never woke up before." They said casually. "Even if you woke up I never expected you to reach this far. I would think that you would stay in the red room forever and punch walls or stay in that library trying to refresh this head of yours."

"You're going to die."

"Your mind is one of the most disturbing one that I've seen in a while. There's nothing but death and anger and the need for vengeance that's displayed. At least it's gotten sort of better, your mind when we first met gave me nightmares for years.", Dark Matter says as he continues to push buttons and look through this screen. The swordsman didn't even offer him a glance

"I don't care, I am going to kill you.", Galacta Knight says as he turns Dark Matter around and grabs the collar of their cloak. Dark Matter gets out of his grasp and splits into two, one of them back pushing buttons and the other towering over Galacta Knight.

"Kill me? But what about our deal?", Dark Matter says with mock sadness, greatly amused by the knight who's shaking in rage.

"You bastard!", Galacta Knight says as he lets out a huge sword beam in Dark Matter's direction which he dodges without blinking.

"Keep this up and you're going to kill yourself, but wouldn't that be fitting? Your mind is already decayed and rotten after all." They say as they try to slash at the knight which he swiftly blocks with his shield.

"Just stop talking already! Do you always feel the urge to blabber nonsense and make sound?", The knight says in frustration as he uses Mach Tornado which Dark Matter dodges by dissolving and reappearing behind the knight.

"You still are so pitiful and weak. I thought of you as my own once upon a time but I don't know what I saw in you.", They say and Galacta Knight scowls behind his mask as he quickly turns around and tries to stab them but they aren't there anymore.

"You used me, just like you're doing now! You didn't care about me!", He says as he looks around.

"Hmm, maybe you're right but I still felt some sort of attachment. Such a great puppet you were.", Dark Matter says as he reappears behind the knight again. The knight is shaking so hard now that it looks like he's about to explode any second.

"Stop."

"You were so stupid. It took you so long to figure it out, where did you think all of those injuries come from? Honestly, common sense is a thing."

"Shut up."

"Oh my and do you want to know what the funniest thing of it all is?"

"I'm going to break you apart."

Dark Matter makes a sound of amusement at this statement and places his hands on the knight's shoulders.

"One night while this little boy went far far away from his home to go pick some rare flowers for his mother, I burnt his whole town down and killed everyone he cared about. One by one."

Galacta Knight feels like someone just punched him in his stomach. All he sees is red. A blinding, hot red that burnt his eyes and seared his skin.

He hears a scream, no three screams, as everything around him burns and burns and burns and then everything fades to black.

When he opens his eyes that burning red is still there except this time he could see through it. He was back at the Fountain of Dreams. The carcass of the dead creature lays there unmoving. He can barely feel the cuts that scattered his skin but he didn't care.

Everything was red. His mind stopped working, stopped functioning. All he felt was something that seemed close to anger except it way beyond that.

"Galacta Knight! I heard reports that you were here but I thought them to be false. I have also heard that Dark Matter accompanied you. Where is he?", A familiar voice demands but he can't register the words.

"Oh my Nova, what happened here?", That voice says again except closer.

Nova. That voice. That voice, that voice. Red, so much fucking red. Trapped, used. Decay.

Fire.

"Galacta Knight!", The voice says in alarm. He glances over. The Knight of Dreamland jumped away from flames. Flames? Where did they come from?

He looks up and sees his lance pointed in the air. Did he do that? When did he summon those flames? He can't recall doing so and he can't summon the will to care.

The Knight of Dreamland. Anger. Hate, hate, hate. Fear.

Galacta Knight charges towards Meta Knight who blocks the attack.

"How are you here?", The other knight demands to know. Galacta Knight stays silent as he continues to try and swipe at the knight with his lance.

"Why won't you answer me?", Meta Knight asks as he blocks the attacks and puts a few in of his own but the other is moving so fast.

"I hate you.", The sentence is said without any thought. Did it even have a significance? He didn't know. The only thing he knew was red.

"You're different. You're not even blinking!", Meta Knight observes.

Blinking? Is that why his eyes hurt? He tried blinking but his body didn't listen.

"What do you want?", Meta Knight asks as he tries to attack the knight.

"Freedom.", The word is whispered but it echos and it breaks. Meta Knight seems to hear it though. How did he hear it?

"Freedom is something you don't deserve.", The knight says. "You're a monster."

"I hate you."

"What is wrong with you?", The knight didn't understand.

Then things started to turn. The Knight of Dreamland stabbed his foot and when Galacta Knight tried to shoot a beam from his lance he was cut on the back. He was tired and the pain was throbbing but his mind was too busy with the red and he kept going.

"You're almost defeated. The only thing keeping you alive is your presence.", Meta Knight says.

"Perseverance alone cannot keep someone alive. I have hate and the need for vengeance. Along with my power that is what keeps my heart from stopping.", He says with anger as he manages to make a scrape on Meta Knight before the other moves away.

"You are a fool. You speak of freedom but you let your anger control you! Your anger and hate is not keeping you alive, it is killing you. You're so consumed in it that you're moving on autopilot, your attacks are predictable.", Meta Knight says as he uses Mach Tornado which causes Galacta Knight to drop his lance and fall backwards.

He reaches for his lance without thinking, without looking and as his hand runs over the ground next to him to find his weapon his hand touches something else and suddenly the red is gone and he's somewhere else.

One day a knight locked away was wished to be free. He soared away and went to a planet he didn't mean to go to.

"How are you here?", The Knight of Dreamland asks as he dodges an attack.

"I didn't mean to come to Dreamland, not yet.", He responds.

He was hurt and couldn't fly and a nice child helped him.

"You're Kirby?", He asks. Kirby let's out a noise of happiness.

They helped him all the way to their house and let him stay. They hid him from an enemy and watched the stars with him and when he was sick they sent for help.

"Kirby, he is dangerous! He's a threat to everyone in this galaxy!", Meta Knight tried to reason but Kirby shakes his head.  
"Gala Knigh..fwend!", Kirby says earnestly and Meta Knight flinches at these words.

The enemy didn't trust him but he helped him anyway and when he got better the three trained and talked and he told the old enemy about the bad man who set him free.

"They have him. I'm sure of it.", Meta Knight says.  
"If so, won't you tell who 'they' is?", Galacta Knight asked and Meta Knight sighed but complied.

The bad man wanted the nice child and the old enemy dead and he took the child away. He and the old enemy went to go get him and he found him but things went wrong.

"Stay awake! Don't give up, Kirby will be expecting you when he wins this fight.", Meta Knight says.

He fought with the bad man but he lost. Blood, there was so much blood and pain and in the end the child brought down the bad man.

Galacta Knight looks up at him with pleading eyes.  
"Ids..ids okay poyo. It's okay.", Kirby says, stumbling over his words. Meta Knight bows his head.

He saw the sight of his two friends as he fell into and deep sleep and then was free.

Galacta Knight gasps as he takes his hand away from the object. The red was gone. He looked to where his hand was and saw the wand that creature held. He recalled what Dark Matter said about it earlier and his mind reeled.

Those images. Were they the memories another him? That Galacta Knight was so different that he couldn't imagine that being even some alternate version of him. He didn't have any friends and he couldn't imagine being friends with the Knight of Dreamland, especially not now.

"You passed out.". Speak of the devil.

"So I did.", He says. He felt exhausted.

"I'm not sure what to do with you. I should kill you here and now."

"Do what you must.", Galacta Knight says. If he couldn't beat the knight of Dreamland now then he never would so what was the point?

The other hesitates but nods.

"Any last words?", The other asks as he lifts the fallen knight's mask with Galaxia and put it to the side. There was no expression on his face.

"I hate you."

"Goodbye."

As the sword hit his chest and the blood shot out of his mouth and filled his lungs, he tried to smile but it didn't feel right so he stopped.

As he went into the clutches of death, he wondered how his other self could feel so free. 


End file.
